The Brazoswood Choir is a Texas High School vocal ensemble located in Clute / Lake Jackson and directed by Bill Few, Rica Goldyn and Dawn Grimes. Concert activities fill the academic year with Classical through Contemporary songs. Performance repertoire for TMEA and UIL competition includes both sacred and secular music.

History, Goals, Vision, Motto, Colors and Mascot

School District and Community History:

Brazoswood High School opened in September 1969, to serve the communities of Clute, Lake Jackson, and Richwood in the Brazosport Independent School District (BISD). The faculty consists of 182 professional staff members, with an average of seventeen years of teaching experience. Twenty one percent of our teachers have Master's Degrees. The facilities are situated on a 100-acre campus in the Brazosport area located approximately 50 miles south of Houston on the Gulf Coast.

School:

Enrollment: 2485

Seniors: 552 Juniors: 530

Sophomores: 679 Freshmen: 700

Ethnic Distribution:

Caucasian............... 51.91%

Hispanic................. 36.42%

African American .... 7.24%

Asian..................... 2.17%

Am. Indian............. 0.6%

Brazoswood Vision:

Preparing tomorrow’s global leaders today.

Brazoswood Core Beliefs:

We believe all members of the learning community must be

invested in student success, student accountability, and ethical

standards of behavior.

We believe that all students must be provided opportunities to

explore the ever changing workforce and educational experiences.

We believe all students should have equitable access to technology

that will enrich their education and provide them with the tools to

be lifelong learners in a global society.

Mission Statement:

The mission of Brazoswood High School is to graduate lifelong learners

by focusing on student needs and educational interests that develop and

prepare the whole person for success in a global society.

Colors:

Air Force Blue and Silver

Mascot:

Brazoswood Buccaneer

Curriculum:

From among the 175 course offerings, students must earn 26 Carnegie units for graduation. The offerings include a variety of advanced courses in English/Language Arts, Social Studies, Mathematics, Science, Business, Technology and Fine Arts. Additionally, many industrial and vocational offerings are available on campus or at the area vocational schools. Students are offered seven credits per year on a system or seven classes per day.

Advanced Placement Courses:

Students at Brazoswood are offered the following AP courses:

English III AP (language/composition)

French IV AP

English IV AP (literature/composition)

German IV AP

U.S. Government /Economics AP

Spanish IV AP (Language)

U.S. History AP

Spanish V AP (Literature)

Statistics AP

Biology AP

Calculus AP

Chemistry AP

AP Studio Art (Drawing Portfolio)

Physics AP

AP Studio Art (2D Portfolio)

Environmental Science AP

AP Studio Art (3D Portfolio)

Graduation Requirements:

Each school year consists of two semesters. One half (.5) credit can be earned in a subject during the semester. Since students attend seven classes a day, if they pass (with a 70 or above) all seven courses, they can earn seven half semester credits per semester. A student should earn seven credits a year. It is possible to earn 28 credits in a four-year period.

All courses taken for credit are averaged. When a student graduates, each student will have a class rank based on a comparison with his/her classmates. Honor graduates are divided into three categories:

Cum Laude94.0 - 95.9 (or among the top 10%)

Magna Cum Laude96.0 - 97.9

Summa Cum Laude98.0 - 100+

Weighted Grades:

Beginning with the 1984-85 school year, the local board of education adopted a system of weighted grades to encourage students to take more difficult subjects. Only the semester grades are weighted, and this procedure applies only to students graduating in 1988 or later.

Since the Texas Board of Education has ruled that grades in excess of 100 cannot be reported, our school district has adopted the following procedures: grades earned in accelerated, honors, and AP classes will be reported to parents and students without the factor added. However, separate records, which reflect the factored grades, will be maintained by the registrar for class rank and grade point average.

Classes are weighted as follows:

Pre-Advanced Placement1.05

Advanced Placement1.10

Extracurricular Activities:

Extracurricular activities include a wide range of subject and interest-related clubs, as well as choir, band, orchestra, drama, drill team, cheerleaders, speech and debate, newspaper and yearbook, student government, art, etc. Interscholastic competitions are offered in academic areas (Scholastic Bowl, debate, etc.) as well as in sports (baseball, basketball, cross country, diving, football, golf, power lifting, soccer, softball, swimming, tennis, track, volleyball, water polo, and wrestling). More than eighty percent of our students participate in one or more extracurricular activity. Daily tutorial time provides opportunities for students to seek help from teachers, study, or attend club meetings. Clubs or activities are added upon a student request and faculty sponsorship.

Academic Excellence:

In the National Merit Scholarship Program, Brazoswood had two National Merit Semi-finalists (Finalists pending), one Black Scholar, two Hispanic Scholars, and 16 Commended students in 2011.

Our Choir won the distinction of serving as the Texas State Honor Choir in 1993-94. Our Choir is a consistent Sweepstakes award winner at UIL Competitions.

The Buccaneer Belles Dance Team is a two-time national champion, three-time state champ, and has received many, many special recognition awards at competitions. In addition to many hours of dancing, the girls donated more than 1400 hours of community service this past school year.

The Brazoswood Orchestra consistently achieves First Division Sweepstakes ratings at UIL Concert & Sight-reading. Every year members of the orchestra represent Brazoswood High School in the Texas Music Educators Association Region, Area and All-State Orchestras. Additionally, the majority of orchestra members who attend UIL Solo & Ensemble achieve First Division ratings at both the Region and State level.

Extra-Curricular Activities - More than eighty percent (1975 students) of our students participate in one or more of our many clubs, organizations, and sports.

The Brazoswood Buccaneer Bands is a frequent participant in the UIL State Marching Contest and the Bands of America Regional contests. Our Color Guard, Winter Guards, and Percussion Section have all earned state recognition. All three concert bands consistently receive UIL Sweepstakes Awards for excellence in Concert and Sight-Reading. The Symphonic Band has been a finalist in the TMEA State Honor Band competition numerous times, and was named the 5A Texas State Honor Band in 2012.